Bali - Elephant Cave
Goa Gajah (the Elephant Cave), is located in a steep valley just outside of Ubud. Built at least 700 years ago, the cave was rediscovered in the 1920s and excavated 30 years later.
To enter the cave you walk through the mouth of a demon. You can just make out the profile of an elephant if you look at the demon face's hair; the elephant's trunk is hanging over its ear to the right.
To enter the cave you walk through the mouth of a demon. You can just make out the profile of an elephant if you look at the demon face's hair; the elephant's trunk is hanging over its ear to the right.
The
leading theory on the history of the cave suggests that Goa Gajah was used as a hermitage or sanctuary by
Hindu priests who dug the cave entirely by hand. Although accredited as a
sacred Hindu site, a number of relics and the close proximity of a Buddhist
temple suggest that the site held special significance to early Buddhists in
Bali.
Despite the ancient significance of the Elephant Cave, the last
excavation took place during the 1950s; many sites still remain unexplored.
Literal piles of relics with unknown origins have been laid out in a
surrounding garden and jungle.
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Bali,
Travel Adventures
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